Hermann Hesse's voyage to the East Indies, recorded in journal entries and other writings translated into English for the first time, describes the experiences that influenced his greatest works. “I knew but few of the trees and animals that I saw around me by name, I was unable to read the Chinese inscriptions, and could exchange only a few words with the children, but nowhere in foreign lands have I felt so little like a foreigner and so completely enfolded by the self-existing naturalness of life’s clear river as I did here.” In 1911, Hermann Hesse sailed through southeastern Asian waters on a trip that would define much of his later writing. Hesse brings his unique eye to scenes such as adventures in a rickshaw, watching foreign theater performances, exploring strange floating cities on stilts, and luxuriating in the simple beauty of the lush natural landscape. Even in the doldrums of travel, he records his experience with faithful humor, wit, and sharp observation, offering a broad vision of travel in the early 1900s. With a glimpse into the workings of his mind through the pages of his journals, poems, and a short story—all translated into English for the first time—these writings describe the real-life experiences that inspired Hesse to pen his most famous works.

Literary greats have long visited Singapore, fascinated by its culture and history. Explore the experiences of writers like Anton Chekhov, Rabindranath Tagore, Noël Coward, Isabella Bird, Pablo Neruda and Joseph Conrad, among others, and discover how Singapore remained a lasting part of their creative imagination.

. .. the best of the letters present us with two fundamentally decent, sophisticated men grieving for the ruined world. In the 1930s and 1940s, they rail against the stupidity of war and the cowardice of diplomats, against the social savagery of the Nazis,

Adventures of 2 Girls traces the journey of two best friends who take a 9-month break from their successful careers to tick a big, fat item off their Bucket Lists: To travel the world and write a book. Ning is an award-winning professional female magician, and Pam an award-winning journalist and radio DJ. At the peak of their careers, they break loose from the safe and familiar, stuff their backpacks with bare essentials, and buy two one-way tickets to Honolulu. From a road trip across the United States, to spending a summer in Paris, studying French and being certified in the art of patisserie at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu, from roughing it out in wild Madagascar (with no electricity, running water or toilets!), to trekking in the Himalayas, Pam and Ning go in search of new experiences and ultimate adventures off the beaten track. If you think this is a guidebook for girls, or an offshoot of Eat, Pray, Love… think again! Adventures of 2 Girls boasts action-packed accounts of sticky situations faced by two city girls in foreign lands, travel tips about budgeting, finances, insurance, PMS survival etc., plus quirky observations, and quiet ruminations on lazy afternoons… complete with private photos from their compact cameras and iPhones, and sketches from their travel journals. It’s a heart-warming, humorous and inspiring story about friendship, chasing dreams, taking risks, and letting go.

For more than three years, Aline Coquelle, the well-known globe-trotting photographer, and Count Gelasio Gaetani d’Aragona Lovatelli, a member of one of the oldest aristocratic Italian families, have followed the map of Italy’s best wines. Guided by Gelasio, readers are introduced to a tribe of artistic and wine-loving amici who share their passion for their country’s heritage and bounty. The Italian Dream: Wine, Heritage, Soul is an escape into the effortlessly elegant Italian lifestyle, savoring wine behind the private gates of family castles and vineyards, from the foothills of the Alps to the hill towns of Tuscany to the relaxed southern seasides.

Akiko Miyakoshi’s enchanting new book explores how it feels to harbor a secret dream. People from all over the world come and go at the gracious innkeeper’s little hotel, some even becoming friends over the years. Only, sometimes, the innkeeper feels the desire to travel far away himself. He longs to pack a big bag and journey from one unfamiliar town to another. He imagines stopping to visit his friends. And having wonderful and unexpected experiences. The innkeeper continues to go about his daily routine at his hotel. But, someday, he is sure, he will explore the world. For every child — and adult — who yearns for what lies beyond the horizon.

In the spring of 1922, several months after completing Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse wrote a fairy tale that was also a love story, inspired by the woman who was to become his second wife. That story, Pictor's Metamorphoses, is the centerpiece of this anthology of Hesse's luminous short fiction. Based on The Arabian Nights and the work of the Brothers Grimm, the nineteen stories collected here represent a half century of Hesse's short writings. They display the full range of Hesse's lifetime fascination with fantasy--as dream, fairy tale, satire, or allegory.

Intimate, exhilarating writings on adventure, meditation, and life in the captivating wildness of the Himalayan Mountains—with contributions from Amitav Ghosh, Mark Twain, Rabindranath Tagore, Peter Matthiessen, and more. For some, the Himalaya is a frontier against which people test themselves. Others find refuge and tranquility in the mountains, a place where they can seek their true selves, perhaps even God. Over millennia, the mountains have cradled civilization itself and nurtured teeming, irrepressible life. With over thirty essays, this exhilarating anthology offers a dazzling range of voices that reveal accounts of great ascents and descents—from reflecting on a deadly avalanche to searching for a snow leopard and enjoying the simple pleasure of riding a handcar down a railway track. These diverse writings bring to life the spirit of the Himalaya in an unparalleled panorama. Contributors include: Amitav Ghosh Mark Twain Rabindranath Tagore Peter Matthiessen Edmund Hillary Aleister Crowley Andrew Harvey Vicki Mackenzie Sarat Chandra Das H. A. Giles (Trans.) Jahangir Sven Hedin Frank S. Smythe Anil Yadav Jinasena Arundhathi Subramaniam Dharamvir Bharati Swami Vivekananda Rahul Sankrityayan Francis Younghusband Ruskin Bond Jemima Diki Sherpa Kirin Narayan Jawaharlal Nehru Abdul Wahid Radhu Jim Corbett Bill Aitken Hridayesh Joshi Dom Moraes Manjushree Thapa

When he falls asleep with a book in his arms, a young boy dreams an amazing dream-about dragons, about castles, and about an unchartered, faraway land. And you can come along.